西西里岛陶尔米纳，意大利 Taormina, Sicily, Italy (© Juergen Schonnop/Getty Images)

西西里岛陶尔米纳，意大利 Taormina, Sicily, Italy (© Juergen Schonnop/Getty Images)

A dramatic view of Sicily

If you mistook this gorgeous, postcard-worthy image for one of the many coastal towns along Italy's famous Amalfi coast, you wouldn't be far off. However, the town seen here actually lies farther to the south, located on the eastern side of Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean. Beginning in the late 19th century, sun-seeking tourists have come to the chic resort town of Taormina during the warmer months, looking to dine in its restaurants, relax on its beaches, and of course just to take in the exquisite scenery.

As expected in a town built over 2,000 years ago, traces of history can be found everywhere here, from the tiny medieval streets of old downtown to the Ancient Theatre of Taormina, an amphitheater built in the Greek style in the third century BCE, and later expanded by the Romans. And though it's been around for more than two millennia, the theater is still in use, with opera, theatrical productions, and concerts staged there to this day—or at least whenever performances aren't canceled due to the pandemic. The beauty of this town, built into a steep hill overlooking the Ionian Sea, is said to have inspired writers and thinkers both ancient and modern, from Plato to D. H. Lawrence to Truman Capote.

西西里岛的戏剧性景色

如果你把这张华丽的、值得放进明信片的照片误认为是意大利著名的阿马尔菲海岸沿岸众多沿海城镇之一，你就不会走得很远了。然而，这里看到的城镇实际上位于更远的南部，位于地中海最大岛屿西西里岛的东侧。从19世纪末开始，寻求阳光的游客在温暖的月份来到了别致的度假胜地陶尔米纳，他们希望在这里的餐厅用餐，在海滩上放松，当然也只是为了欣赏优美的风景。

正如人们所料，在一座建于2000多年前的小镇上，历史的痕迹随处可见，从旧城区的中世纪小街到陶尔米纳（Taormina）的古剧场，陶尔米纳是公元前3世纪希腊风格建造的圆形剧场，后来被罗马人扩建。尽管它已经存在了两千多年，剧院仍然在使用，歌剧、戏剧作品和音乐会一直在那里上演，至少在演出没有因为流感而取消的时候。这个美丽的小镇建在一座陡峭的小山上，俯瞰着爱奥尼亚海，据说从柏拉图到劳伦斯，再到杜鲁门·卡波特，它激发了古代和现代作家和思想家的灵感。